SQL Server and Other Topics

I got my start with SQL Server in 1997 with SQL Server 6.5 at BellSouth Cellular. From that point on I've had the opportunity to work on Versions 6.0 to 2014.
I specialize in Performance Tuning, High Availability and SQL Development.
Contact me through this site or through my Twitter handle @SQLDiver

Once again, I served on the organizing team. I decided to spread my time across 3 different teams as backup lead, Precons, speaker selection, and swag. I also assisted with the printing team as I had been the lead two years in a row and had two new members to the organizing team running it.

This years theme was Back to the Future, as this was the 30th anniversary of the first back to the future and this year, 2015 was a subject of the sequel.

The Atlanta team always tries to have a theme that will be fun for the attendees, volunteers and speakers. By adding fun to the formula, we feel it is a easier for us to unify the team working on the "project" and also a good marketing ploy to bring new attendees in.

This year, like last year, I designed the event pin. We have gotten into the habit of creating pins for every event for all of the speakers and attendees as a memento of the event. They turned out awesome.

This year we "stole" a great idea from SQLSaturday #363 - Nashville. They created a special name badge for the speakers that was very cool. I designed a badge that was very theme related:

The event was one of our smoothest events, like each of the SQLSaturdays we've hosted, we suffered a little bit from the number of attendees that attended. We might have to move to a new venue next year due to the capacity limits of the venue we've been using.

The after party was a huge success as always. Rob Volk, the lead, decided to reenact the prom scene from the first Back to the Future movie, from hiring a band dressed in tuxes to the "Enchantment Under the Sea" banners.

We had many speakers and attendees show up to socialize. I met quite a few new people and met some people I've been friends but have never met in person.